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Thursday, September 30, 2010

Marc Bolan singer, songwriter and guitarist. Born Mark Feld 30 September 1947 and died 16 September 1977. With his band T-Rex he help cultivate the glam rock era. His music and voice had a very distinctive sound. Even though married he began seeing Gloria Jones. His marriage broke up and he had a son with Gloria in 1975. Two weeks before Marc's 30th birthday, he was her passenger as they headed home from Morton's drinking club and resturant. Jones lost control and struck a sycamore tree. Jones lived but Marc did not. A shrine has been set up at the tree.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

New poll out today from the The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life indicating atheist know more about religion than Protestants and Catholics. This does not surprise me. It is not that atheist are more intelligent, they have just read the material with an open mind. Many are like me. We were religious and threw our heart and soul into it and the more we did that the more we saw how hollow it was. As Isaac Asimov said "Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived".

Also 1/3 of Americans say they read from the Bible once a week and are terrified to read other religious books keeping them inbreed. You know Satan is out to get you in those other books.

From the study:

Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups on a new survey of religious knowledge, outperforming evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants and Catholics on questions about the core teachings, history and leading figures of major world religions.

On average, Americans correctly answer 16 of the 32 religious knowledge questions on the survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life. Atheists and agnostics average 20.9 correct answers. Jews and Mormons do about as well, averaging 20.5 and 20.3 correct answers, respectively. Protestants as a whole average 16 correct answers; Catholics as a whole, 14.7. Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons perform better than other groups on the survey even after controlling for differing levels of education.

Many Americans are devoted readers of Scripture: More than a third (37%) say they read the Bible or other Holy Scriptures at least once a week, not counting worship services. But Americans as a whole are much less inclined to read other books about religion. Nearly half of Americans who are affiliated with a religion (48%) say they “seldom” or “never” read books (other than Scripture) or visit websites about their own religion, and 70% say they seldom or never read books or visit websites about other religions.

Monday, September 27, 2010

As my blog's name says Jesus always needs money. He can create worlds, heal the sick, raise the dead, but never has enough money. This hard hit recession is even making it even tougher for the Lord and Master of the Universe. Friday's article in the New York Times describes the woes of Jesus trying to pay his electric bill or paying his gospel singers. Trying to keep up all that adoration He craves it no easy task.

A couple of interesting statements in the article are "Some members, newly jobless and ashamed, turned in tithing envelopes that were empty" and "On one hand, more than 50 families out of a total of 580 in his congregation this year asked for their annual dues to be reduced". You know some churches require you to make a financial contract with the Church. Nice way to guilt the members, so much so that some are too embarrassed to even show up. One church board member told his pastor to stop asking for donations and pray for the economy to turn around. What's wrong with these politicians? All we need to do is pray - problem solved. Well, it is only a theory or actually an unproven hypothesis. This god is unpredictable.

"While the recession has sharpened the drop in giving, it is not entirely responsible for it. Rather, it has accentuated and accelerated a trend away from giving to religious organizations that scholars have been tracking for the past decade. The impending wave of retirements by baby boomers, who start hitting age 65 next year, threatens another blow to congregational income." I know where 20+ million went to a pseudo-science Creation Museum in Kentucky that says man rode on dinosaurs denying all evidence except the TV show the Flintstones.

How is it the churches suffer with this? Does the story of Joseph in the Bible show that righteous people are bless with great wealth? The prosperity gospel.

"The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master." - Genesis 39:2

"The LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did." Genesis 39:23

"Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.'" - Genesis 41:41

All they need do is pray and be righteous and Jesus will...will..still NEED MONEY.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Today's Church sign I have seen before and as I rode past I mulled over its' meaning.

Free trip to heaven

Details inside

Well, it is more gentile than most, but is it true it is free? As the saying goes there is no free lunch. What do I get if I go inside? I get a lecture about how evil I have been (bye-bye to any self-worth and self esteem). I was condemned by God and/or Jesus and/or the Holy Spirit to eternal damnation because this Creator made a flawed universe. And the good news is that he knows everything. He knew he was setting Adam & Eve up to fail. He knew he would make them just stupid enough to believe the words of a talking snake who had taken that form but really was Lucifer, Satan, a fallen angel, who apparently had lived with God for countless ages. This Lucifer was very smart. God had created him that way. Oddly, Genesis leads you to believe that the heavens and the earth were created only in one week. But somehow Lucifer existed well before all that. But consistency is not the Bible strong suit. So you are told how awful you are and how God set you up. However, there is good news. He made himself a sacrifice so he could appease himself so he would not put you in an eternal lake of fire. He has quite the ego. He is all about putting out rules for you which he continually breaks himself, but that is OK. You are so batter and bruise after all these free details you lay down in front of him your life, your will, your money, your non-believing friends, your spouse, your children, your free thought, your doubt, well everything that you are, your soul. So when did it become free? What did you gain again? An imaginary trip to an imaginary place that you will only see after you die. I think I will just go to a movie theater and pay the $12 bucks to enjoy an an imaginary place I can see.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Sunday, September 19, 2010

When I ride my motorcycle around on Sundays I am in the BuyBull Belt and many of the small churches have a sign out that they change periodically to challenge believers and non-believers alike and they try to be clever. I have given thought about posting on them because the greater majority get a reaction out of me, which is their intended affect. This Sunday's Church Sign.

Selective Obedience is Convenience

How interesting. You know one church's obedience to its' faith is disobedience to another's. In fact my first church had definitive ideas on the state of the dead before the resurrection. Once I bailed on that church and was entirely guilt ridden (they had done an excellent job) I joined another church or was sucked into it to try to keep my marriage together. Once they found I believed the dead are dead and not frying in hell I was called up on the carpet. I really tried once again to be obedient even embarassingly with tears but I just couldn't hold that together. I had this thing about not lying, which I still do. My morals have only improved now that I am an atheist. Anyway eventually they ex-communicated me because I was not obedient. They could not "stand with me as a brother". That reference is in Paul's letters regarding incest. I don't see how they could apply it to me but they did. Judgement is harsh and strong with fundamental Christians because they picked it all up from their imaginary Daddy. Anyway fast forward a decade or so and I look back gratefully on that event. If I had of somehow been able to destroy every part of my self-worth and been a robot I would be miserably happy. A smile on the outside and wanting to kill myself on the inside. Today my outside and inside match and that is such a wonderful way to live.

So, this is what went through my mind as I reacted to the church sign. Now if I could put a sign right next to it expressing my atheist point of view it would be this:

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Friday, September 17, 2010

Legendary skeptic James Randi takes a fatal dose of homeopathic sleeping pills onstage, kicking off a searing 18-minute indictment of irrational beliefs. He throws out a challenge to the world's psychics: Prove what you do is real, and I'll give you a million dollars. (No takers yet.)

Monday, September 13, 2010

Saturday, September 11, 2010

From CBSNews.com regard Pastor Jones and the Dove World Outreach Center:

Jones likened his decision to pursue the plans to burn Qurans, and then cancel the event, with the Biblical story of Abraham. "Abraham was also called to do something very crazy, I mean God told him to go the mountain and sacrifice his son. Of course Abraham was much wiser than us, he told no one. So he got to the mountain. He started to do it, and God told him to stop.

"So we feel we have accomplished our goal," he said. "We're obedient. We feel that God is telling us to stop. And we also hope that with us making this first gesture, not burning the Quran - to say, 'No, we’re not going to do it, not today, not ever. We’re not going to go back and do it. It is totally canceled - we would hope that through that, maybe that will open up a door, [to] be able to talk to the Imam about the Ground Zero mosque."

He denied that he made the Quran-burning plans to court publicity.

He hears voices in his head from the Almighty. The voice said burn the Koran and now the voice says not now, not ever will he burn the Koran. But if the voice says do it he will do it and you know that. Don't we lock up people who hear voices in their head anymore? This is one dumbass pastor and doesn't bat an eye comparing himself to Abraham. Why? Because the voice in Abraham's head said to kill his son and then reversed it at the last moment. The pastor is right this is VERY CRAZY shit. Humans are so dumb. They imagine the wildest things and feel they are the center of the universe and know without a doubt god is speaking to them, justifying one action and then reversing it and justifying it in the same way. No rhyme or reason. This is religion. This will be how man destroys himself. The twin towers were destroyed killing thousands of lives and leaving many families broken hearted because someone heard the voice of god. The pastor says that voice is of the devil, but hey maybe a door is open to talk about not building a ground zero mosque. Bat shit crazy this one.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Antonín Leopold Dvořák born September 8, 1841 died May 1, 1904 was a wonderful Czech composer. I really enjoy his 7th, 8th and 9th symphony.

The Symphony No. 9 in E Minor "From the New World" (Op. 95, B. 178), popularly known as the New World Symphony, was composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1893 during his visit to the United States from 1892 to 1895.

Herbert von Karajan (5 April 1908 – 16 July 1989) is conducting. He is one of the great conductors of all time in my opinion.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Paul of the Bible does not agree with Pascal regarding you have nothing to lose if you believe in God. He states that if his God, Jesus, is not who he said he was then he and his fellow believers are to be pitied more than all men.

1 Corinthians 15:12-19

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Hey, Bud! Thanks for your thoughts. When you sent your notice of pity, it would have been a lot more helpful had you mentioned which God I should avoid being screwed by.

There’s Allah whom the Muslim vehemently deny is triune; who say that Jesus is just a prophet, who say your Bible has been corrupted and so on. They give evidence from ancient history, science, archeology, Greek and Hebrew, Christian scholars, the early church fathers and the Bible itself to support their claim.

Or, how about the Jews. They say that Jesus at best was a good (if not problematic) Jewish Rabbi, but not the Messiah and certainly not God. They give evidence from ancient history, science, archeology, Greek and Hebrew, Christian scholars, the early church fathers and the Bible itself to support their claim.

Or, how about the Mormons who say that there are a multitude of gods and we can become one through acts like believing in their holy books and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. They give evidence from ancient history, science, archeology, Greek and Hebrew, Christian scholars, the early church fathers and the Bible itself to support their claim.

Or, how about the Jehovah’s witnesses who deny the trinity also. They say that Jesus was just a man and that the holy spirit is Jehovah’s active force. They say he is not omnipresent, that we are annihilated and not condemned to Hell and that Jesus has already come secretly. They give evidence from ancient history, science, archeology, Greek and Hebrew, Christian scholars, the early church fathers and the Bible itself to support their claim.

Even the Roman Catholic Church, who while saying they have the same God as you, say also that you can by God’s grace (through the sacraments and other good works) earn salvation. They believe such go to Purgatory when they die and one should do nearly every act of worship toward Mary that you do to Jesus, just don’t call it worship. They give evidence from ancient history, science, archeology, Greek and Hebrew, Christian scholars, the early church fathers and the Bible itself to support their claim.

It seems partner that “god” has “left you without a witness.” Anyway you slice it, you are just as screwed as I am! But don’t worry! Look at these passages:

Deuteronomy 20:10-17 "When you draw near a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it. And if its answer to you is peace and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labour for you and shall serve you. But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it; and when the Lord your God gives it into your hand you shall put all its male to the sword, but the women and the little ones, the cattle, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as booty for yourself; and you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemy, which the Lord God has given to you. Thus you shall do to all the cities which are far from you, which are not cities of the nations here. In the cities of these people that the Lord your God gives you an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes but you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittites and the Amoriotes, the Canaanites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded."

Deuteronomy 7:2 "and when the Lord your God gives then [the enemies] over to you, and you defeat them; then you must utterly destroy them; you shall make no covenant with them, and show no mercy to them..."

Numbers 31:7, 17 They warred against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and slew every male…[Moses said to them] "... Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man by lying with him..."

I Samuel 15:1-3 And Samuel said to Saul, "The LORD sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore hearken to the words of the LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts, `I will punish what Am'alek did to Israel in opposing them on the way, when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and smite Am'alek, and utterly destroy all that they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.'"

II Kings 2:23-24 He [Elisha] went up from there to Bethel; and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, "Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!" And he turned around and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. And two she-bears came out from the woods and tore forty-two of the boys.

Looks like we didn’t have to worry about God being all that loving after all.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Pascal born June 19, 1623 and died August 19, 1662 (age 39), was a French philosopher. He might have made some contributions but his legacy is his wager or gambit. If there is a God and you worship him you have all to gain, but if you don't you lose everything and burn in hell. If there is no God and you worship him you lose nothing. It is as it states a bet, a hustler's bet. Christians like to use it. They have said it to me. But if God wants a faker worshipping him over an honest person then he is not a God I would want to live with. It seems quite immoral. But this cartoon highlights that worshipping a God that doesn't exist does not come without costs.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

A growing concern we read about today is the rise of bed bug incidents and everyone is freaking out. I was mulling over these bugs and how they must have evolved. They only come out at night and feed on human blood. Their interaction with humans evolved in such a way that they are the great at staying alive and continuing to breed. Humans are quite clever. Any bugs that would have come out in the day light would be immediately killed, so those who tendency would be to hid during that time would successfully breed. Also, the size of them would remain small because humans could see the bigger ones and kill them. How intellectually satisfying evolution and natural selection is! It just makes sense. This principal of natural selection can be applied to all living things. Humans even became more clever and developed pesticides, such as DDT and which could find these little buggers 24 by 7. However, some evolved resistance to this pesticide. Humans found out that DDT had some serious bad affects so they stopped using it. Now the bed bugs are coming back because the old methods and finding them and physically killing them keeps the survivors small and only coming out at night. I would expect some pesticide company is trying to come up with a new version of DDT because it will be lucrative, but it will need to attack these bugs who have evolved resistance to DDT in a new way. This is the whole basis for antibiotics. Humans have to continue to develop new stains because bacteria continues to adapt and evolve with what is in their environment. How predictable evolution is and how brilliant Darwin was. He truly was a great man and gave us a wonderful tool that truly helped mankind.

Then on the other side you have the evolution-haters, the fundies of the monotheistic religions. What has been their plan on saving humans from disease and pests? Pray, brother, pray. When science was not around or at best voodoo that is all humans could do. Now is the time to realize that this is of no value for helping mankind. Christians mock fundie Muslims who put their women in burkas and yet they stop science cold. Science has proven its value. Fundamental monotheistic religions have had their time and come up very short. When will they open their eyes?